Friday, January 26, 2007

Responsible Citizenry

This time, last year, newly elected officials spent a day in training with the Utah League of Cities and Towns. We began by standing up, each in turn, to say why we had sought elective office. There was a good laugh when Pleasant Grove's Lee Jensen, still looking shell-shocked from the campaign, said, "Clearly I'm here for the money and the glory."

Mayor Thompson, when it was his turn, explained that he had served American Fork on its planning commission and as a president of Downtown American Fork, Inc. Having done so, he said, he saw that the City's needs, as he assessed them, matched his skillset, and he felt that running for office is one of the things a responsible citizen does.

Last week we were back with the Utah League of Cities and Towns, this time for the annual Local Officials' Day at the Legislature. The League's purposes for us were twofold: First, to provide a preview of the season's legislative agenda; and second, to give us a chance to lobby our legislators over lunch. Which we did.

For entertainment, the League shared a video. The video was modeled after a Jay Leno "Jay Walking" segment, wherein a very personable reporter posed elementary civics questions to Utah residents. Most could name all the judges on American Idol, but few could identify their mayor, senator, or governor. Most had equal difficulty with questions about how taxes are levied or how laws are made.

The League produced this video to show how important it is for us, the elected officials, to connect with the electorate. But the message I took was of the citizenry's overwhelming neglect of some of its most basic responsibilities -- to become informed, to vote intelligently, to practice oversight of government.

After the video, Governor Huntsman addressed us briefly. What he said triggered the memory of what Mayor Thompson said last year. The governor said, simply, that most of us are here because our turn has come to serve. Then he thanked us for taking our turn.

Mayor Thompson, in 2006, saw that the City's needs, as he assessed them, matched his skillset, and he felt that running for office is one of the things a responsible citizen does. So he took his turn.

Why do we need to be civically engaged? Because we are free citizens, and civic engagement is one of the most basic responsibilities of a free citizenry.

And because we never know when our turn will come.

My turn certainly took me by surprise. I never expected to do more for my country than vote -- until I moved into a community without parks. That's when I learned that a semester of government and a stubborn red-headed temperament are almost enough to make a difference. As the saying goes, "That plus a nickel 'll buy me a soda." To which I add, "That plus a thousand meetings can effect lasting change."

Why do you need to be civically engaged? Because your turn may be next, and we all need you to be prepared.